An Overview of the Academic Program
Stanford students have access to a wide variety of academic advice from their first day of orientation. The publication Approaching Stanford, mailed in the summer, is an invaluable resource, as is the website http://undergrad.stanford.edu.
Many new students are initially overwhelmed by the variety of choices at Stanford, the university's academic requirements and the plethora of programs offered. But Stanford ensures that all students have access to the resources they need to make decisions with confidence. Particularly important will be their academic advisor and the academic director in their residence hall. Parents are asked to encourage their students to seek help from both--and from the Undergraduate Advising Center in Sweet Hall.
The summary of academic requirements and programs in this section is designed to help parents help their children become independent decision-makers, learn to explore Stanford's intellectual life broadly and find the intellectual passion that will guide their studies.
Sections:
Stanford's Origins
Jane and Leland Stanford founded Stanford in memory of their only child, Leland, Jr., who died at age 15. His parents dedicated their fortune to helping "other people's" children. In their 1885 Founding Grant, they wrote that the objective of their university was to "qualify its students for personal success, and direct usefulness in life; And its purposes, to promote the public welfare by exercising an influence in behalf of humanity and civilization, teaching the blessings of liberty regulated by law, and inculcating love and reverence for the great principles of government as derived from the inalienable rights of man to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Those words continue to inform decision making at Stanford today. Go to top
The Stanford Undergraduate Education
Stanford encourages its undergraduates to intellectually explore in their first two years, delaying the choice of a major until the end of their sophomore year. Students are strongly encouraged to develop close relationships with faculty members through small-class experiences, especially Freshman Seminars, in their first years and through research collaboration.
Stanford discourages students from declaring a major at the time of admission, reflecting an institutional conviction that the choice of academic specialization is best made after considerable exploration. Premature specialization restricts a student's ability to find a major he or she truly loves. Students should, nonetheless, balance exploration with the realities of prerequisites. Their advisors and academic directors can be helpful in this regard, and we hope parents will encourage their students to seek help from both.
This is how Provost John Etchemendy describes Stanford's undergraduate education: "During their first two years of college, our undergraduates have an experience as educationally intimate and personal as any student attending a high-quality liberal arts college. We offer many small classes stressing direct dialogue with some of the university's most esteemed faculty members. Then, as those students progress and begin to focus their studies, they are given the opportunity to pursue research, again in close collaboration with faculty. Learning to conduct research--learning to analyze, think critically and discover new knowledge--is an exciting opportunity that only a research university can offer. So, in other words, we offer students the intimacy of a liberal arts college and the research experience of a major university. I believe no one does it better." Go to top
Requirements for Graduation
Students must earn 180 units to graduate. A maximum of 45 units of Advanced Placement (AP), transfer work and other external credit may be applied toward the 180 units. Most students graduate with more than 180 units. The Stanford Bulletin, published by the Office of the Registrar, outlines university policies and all courses and degree requirements for the three schools that offer undergraduate degrees: Earth Sciences, Engineering and Humanities and Sciences, as well as the School of Education, which offers master's degrees in education.
Students also must complete the General Education Requirements (GERs), the Writing and Rhetoric Requirement, a foreign language requirement and departmental requirements for a major.
The GERs are designed to introduce students to a broad range of fields and areas of study within the humanities, mathematics, social sciences, natural sciences, applied sciences and technology. GERs are divided into three areas, and students are expected to complete the first area--the yearlong Introduction to the Humanities series--in their freshman year. Some students will choose to satisfy this requirement through the Structured Liberal Education residential program.
The second area, Disciplinary Breadth, provides students with educational breadth in the areas of engineering and applied sciences, humanities, mathematics, natural sciences and the social sciences. Courses in the third area, Education for Citizenship, promote the skills and knowledge necessary for citizenship in contemporary national cultures and participation in 21st-century global cultures. The Stanford Bulletin identifies classes that satisfy GERs.
The Writing and Rhetoric Requirement has two parts: the Program in Writing and Rhetoric (PWR) and Writing in the Major (WIM). These requirements seek to develop students' abilities in analysis, academic argument, research-based writing and oral presentation. Students complete PWR by taking one course in their freshman year and a second by the end of their sophomore year. WIM is fulfilled when students complete a writing-intensive course in their major.
Stanford requires students to complete one year of college-level study or the equivalent in a foreign language. Some students will fulfill this requirement by a high score on an AP language or SAT II test. Others may fulfill the requirement through a placement test administered by the Language Center. Go to top
Choosing a Major
Stanford strongly encourages students to choose a major toward the end of their sophomore year. Some choose their majors earlier; some change majors several times. Stanford offers undergraduate degrees in more than 60 departments and programs. Students may elect to complete a minor in addition to a major. Stanford also allows study toward dual bachelor's degrees and offers programs that lead to a simultaneous bachelor's and master's degree.
Choosing a major is not the same thing as choosing a career. For students intending to pursue a law degree, for example, there is no "best" undergraduate major. While many students who plan to enter the medical profession major in the sciences, others major in English, psychology or a foreign language. Stanford strongly recommends that students study what they enjoy. Stanford does not offer pre-medical, pre-law or pre-business school programs. Most medical, law and business schools do not require--or, indeed, value--premature specialization. However, Stanford does offer pre-professional advising for students interested in such careers.
Undergraduate education is under the auspices of the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education. Three schools offer undergraduate degrees-Earth Sciences, Engineering, and Humanities and Sciences. Stanford offers three undergraduate degrees--bachelor of arts, bachelor of sciences and bachelor of arts and sciences--each designed to achieve balance between depth of knowledge acquired through specialization and breadth of knowledge gained through exploration. Go to top
How Students are Advised
Incoming freshmen are matched with advisors who are either academic staff members or members of the faculty, including Tom Wasow, right, professor of philosophy and linguistics
Each first-year student is assigned a premajor advisor--either a faculty member or academic staff member--on the basis of preliminary academic interest (e.g., natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, engineering) reflected in answers submitted to Approaching Stanford. The premajor advisor will not tell students what to do; he or she will, instead, guide decision making. Advisors help students understand GERs and talk through, for instance, how many units to take as a freshman. (The average undergraduate course load is 15 units-usually three to four courses per quarter. Remember that the undergraduate program is divided into 10-week quarters, providing more flexibility in choosing classes, but also resulting in a very accelerated pace.) They also help students choose electives and apply for seminars.
During orientation, and continuing throughout the year, your son or daughter will meet with the premajor advisor to discuss academic plans and long-term aspirations. Prior to the first quarter of the freshman year, freshmen will not be able to enroll in classes until meeting with their advisor. Transfer students, however, may go online to enroll in classes whenever they are ready to do so.
Once students declare their majors, usually at the end of the sophomore year, they choose an advisor from the faculty in their major department.
Professional academic advisors are also available in residences with freshmen and at the Office of Undergraduate Advising and Research (UAR) in Sweet Hall. They provide detailed information about academic resources and services, courses, university requirements, majors and minors, pre-med and pre-law advising and graduate school. Parents are encouraged to urge their children to make an appointment with the academic director within their residence or at the UAR if they have questions about the university's requirements or would like to discuss strategies for meeting their academic goals.
A UAR academic advisor is specifically assigned to work with transfer students. Transfer students are encouraged to make an appointment with the transfer student advisor either in person or by phone during the summer. Materials about credit evaluation, education requirements and majors will be sent during the summer and should be read prior to the appointment at the UAR. For additional help, drop-in advising for transfer students is available during the first week of the quarter. Students should be prepared to provide syllabi from courses taken at previous schools. Go to top
How Students Find Faculty Mentors
One of the ways that parents can be most helpful is by encouraging their sons and daughters to develop relationships with the faculty members who are their teachers and can become their mentors. Stanford values close interaction between faculty and students and has developed many enabling programs.
Freshman Seminars and Sophomore Seminars and Dialogues place small groups of students (no more than 16) in classes with faculty to encourage active critical inquiry and promote mentoring relationships. All students have access to these courses in the first and the second year.
Sophomore College brings selected returning second-year students together before the opening of Autumn Quarter to study with faculty in small-group seminars of no more than 14 students in a residential setting. The seminars meet five mornings a week for two-and-a-half weeks. In the afternoons, students go on field trips, work on class projects or attend workshops to learn about undergraduate research and other opportunities available to them in their subsequent undergraduate years. Students live together in Sophomore College dorms and earn two units of academic credit.
Another example of programs designed to bring students and faculty together is the Sophomore Mentoring Program. This program invites faculty and students who have built connections through a Freshman Seminar or Sophomore College class to formalize these advising relationships during the students' sophomore year until they declare a major. Sophomore Mentors meet regularly with their students throughout the year to discuss academic plans in advance of course registration. Because the small-group seminar creates relationships around shared intellectual interests, it provides an ideal basis for students' ongoing exploration of academic fields. Go to top
Reporting Grades
The university awards letter grades for most courses on a quarterly basis. (Stanford's undergraduate program is divided into 10-week quarters.) Students can review their grades at any time using Stanford's web-based student information system, Axess, which also enables them to enroll in classes, request an official transcript, request enrollment certifications and monitor degree requirements. Approaching Stanford outlines how students establish an account in Axess. Faculty and staff are allowed to share students' grades with parents only when the student has given written permission to do so.
The Registrar's Office assists in monitoring students' quarterly progress, works with the UAR and the Freshman Dean's Office to assist students experiencing academic problems, handles petitions for leaves of absence and, in conjunction with a faculty committee, processes petitions for exceptions to academic policy. Go to top
Leaves of Absence
Students are permitted to take a leave of absence for personal or educational reasons for up to one academic year. Students may request one additional year of leave. Students should first discuss taking a leave with their academic advisor, and they must consult with the Freshman Dean's Office or, for upperclass students, the UAR. International students should also consult with staff in the Bechtel International Center about whether their visa status will permit them to take a leave. Students who are returning from a leave longer than two years must go through a reinstatement process. Go to top
What Parents Can Do to Help
Most parents have helped their Stanford children make academic decisions throughout their high school years. Parents can now best help by letting their children make their own academic decisions and take responsibility for their educational program. For instance, it is important that students themselves read Approaching Stanford and the Stanford Bulletin so they can make informed decisions and are prepared for the conversations they are expected to have with their advisors. Students, rather than their parents, should fill out required forms from Approaching Stanford.
In addition, Stanford students put a lot of pressure on themselves to excel and may often call home during their first weeks and months at Stanford, worried that their admission was an error. Many are encountering intellectual equals for the first time and fear they cannot measure up. Parents are encouraged to listen, encourage and reassure. Chances are that, in a day or two, the crisis will have passed. Be confident that Stanford has many resources available to new students as they adapt to campus life, including the residential house staff, academic advisors, the UAR and the dean of freshmen. It is important that these offices hear directly from students.
Recognize also that this ought to be a time of exploration. Encourage your children to try different subjects and to get involved in activities that will broaden their experiences. Show interest in their academic programs, but let them make decisions about which courses to pursue or majors to select. Go to top
Special Academic Opportunities
During his or her years at Stanford, your son or daughter may choose to participate in a wide variety of special academic opportunities, including the following:
The Bing Overseas Studies Program (BOSP) offers quarter-length programs in Australia, Beijing, Berlin, Florence, Kyoto, Madrid, Moscow, Oxford, Paris and Santiago. A new program in Cape Town will open during Winter Quarter of 2010. Junior year is the most popular year for overseas study, but any time after the freshman year is appropriate. Approximately 50 percent of each graduating class studies abroad at one of Stanford's programs. BOSP also offers Overseas Seminars, which are three-week, intensive, faculty-led courses at locations around the world, such as Bhutan, Qatar and Thailand. These seminars are offered in September prior to the start of Autumn Quarter. BOSP's Asia Internships provide the chance to gain practical, international work experience in a given field in Asia. The office also provides information and advising on programs administered by other U.S. and foreign universities. Go to top
The Haas Center for Public Service is a resource for service learning and opportunities through fellowships, integration of service experience with classroom learning, community-based research, community programs and leadership development. Go to top
Stanford's Hopkins Marine Station is located south of the main campus on Monterey Bay.
Stanford's Hopkins Marine Station is located in Pacific Grove, on the Monterey Peninsula, 90 miles south of campus. The station is in a protected marine life refuge that provides resources for research and teaching in marine biology. Hopkins courses in marine and biological sciences are open to all students. While attending these classes, students reside in Monterey. Go to top
Honors programs offer juniors and seniors the opportunity to do advanced independent research with faculty mentors. About 25 percent of each graduating class earns departmental honors; the university recognizes this achievement by conferring the degree "with honors." About 120 students working on honors theses participate in Bing Honors College before the beginning of the school year. Go to top
The Office of Undergraduate Advising and Research (UAR) supports students pursuing research with guidance from faculty mentors. Each year, UAR grants some $4 million to research projects supporting more than 1,000 undergraduate researchers. Go to top
The Overseas Resource Center helps students pursuing scholarships for study and research abroad. More than 30 scholarships are administered through the office, including the Rhodes, Marshall, Churchill and Fulbright fellowships. Go to top
Bing Stanford in Washington Program offers students an opportunity to live, work and study for one quarter in Washington, D.C., while continuing progress toward an undergraduate degree. Internships are offered in such institutions and agencies as Congress, the White House, the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Justice, the World Bank and the Smithsonian. Go to top
Stanford offers exchange programs with Howard University, Spelman College and Morehouse College, which are all historically black institutions, and with Dartmouth College, which offers programs in Native American Studies. Go to top
Related Support Programs
Andrea Lunsford, right, director of the undergraduate writing program and the Louise Hewlett Nixon Professor of English, helps students in programs such as Introduction to the Humanities.
The Career Development Center (CDC) assists students in finding meaningful employment during and at the end of their Stanford education. In addition, the CDC offers workshops on resume writing and interviewing and has information about campus jobs, summer jobs, internships and alumni in various careers. Parents can sign up on the CDC's website at http://cardinalcareers.stanford.edu to receive its semi-annual parents newsletter. Go to top
The Center for Teaching and Learning offers tutoring and study skills programs free of charge to students. It also helps undergraduates who want to develop their public-speaking skills. Go to top
The Hume Writing Center is a resource for students seeking assistance on any kind of writing assignment. Besides individual writing consultation, the center also provides workshops that support specific programs such as Introduction to the Humanities, and sponsors programs featuring student and faculty writers. Go to top
The Office of Accessible Education coordinates services for undergraduates with documented disabilities, including mobility impairments, learning disabilities, chronic illnesses, psychological disabilities and sensory disabilities. The center's goal is to enable students with disabilities to participate fully in the educational experience at Stanford while meeting the academic standards maintained by the university.
Last updated on June 3, 2009
